At least 4 killed, 16 injured in bar shooting in St. Helena Island, South Carolina: Sheriff
At least four people were killed and 16 injured early Sunday in a shooting at a bar in St. Helena Island, South Carolina, according to the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office.
The shooting occurred around 1 a.m. at Willie’s Bar and Grill, 7 Dr. Martin Luther Drive on St. Helena Island, located about an hour north of Savannah, Ga., according to the sheriff's office.
When deputies arrived at the scene, there was a large crowd at the bar with several people suffering from gunshot wounds, according to the sheriff's office.
Four people were pronounced dead at the scene, the sheriff's office said.
Officials initially reported four dead and 20 injured but later clarified to ABC News that the injured included the victims who were killed.
"It was learned that hundreds of people were at the location when the shooting occurred. Multiple victims and witnesses ran to the nearby businesses and properties seeking shelter from the gun shots," according to the statement from the sheriff's office.
Of the 20 victims being treated at hospitals, four were in critical condition, the sheriff's office said.
Several victims were taken to hospitals by ambulance, but other people injured in the shooting showed up at emergency rooms on their own, the sheriff's office said.
No arrests have been announced in the incident, though the sheriff's office said it was investigating a "person of interest."
The names of the victims killed in the shooting are being withheld pending notification of their relatives, officials said.
"This is a tragic and difficult incident for everyone," the sheriff's office said in its statement. "We ask for your patience as we continue to investigate this incident.
Willie Turral, the owner of Willie's Bar and Grill, told ABC affiliate station WJCL in Savannah that "mayhem" broke out at the bar after gunfire erupted outside his establishment.
"I'm not sure of everything that took place in terms of what exactly happened. The shooting occurred, but it occurred outside and I was inside," Turral told WJCL. "But I could tell you from inside, I could hear what sounded like machine gun fire."
Turral added, "I could see the swarm of people coming in. Things happened so fast, just bodies on the ground, people just trying to duck for cover."
He said when he went outside, he saw paramedics performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation on victims in the parking lot.
"It's unreal," Turral said.
Turral said the shooting occurred while the bar was full with alumni from a local high school that was hosting an event. He said he had hired a professional security staff for the night. Turral said he knew one of the victims killed, a security officer who is the son of his father's best friend.
"We spoke the night before and so it was real close to home," Turral said.
He said that before the shooting, "it was everything you would have wanted from an alumni party. I mean, people were smiling, people were dancing, people were having a fantastic time." He added that right before the shooting, he gathered members of his staff for a celebratory toast to what had been up to that point a "successful night."
"It was just like a complete reversal," Turral said of the shooting. "I heard the shots. I laid on the ground like everybody else."
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., who represents Beaufort County, said in a social media post that she is "COMPLETELY HEARTBROKEN to learn about the devastating shooting in Beaufort County.
"Our prayers are with the victims, their families, and everyone impacted by this horrific act of violence," Mace said.
Mace asked that anyone with information about the mass shooting contact the Beaufort County Sheriff's Office "as soon as humanly possible.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
